The 4th R

After reading “2 states”, I have to write this – Yeah, We Tamilians, affectionately known as Madrasis are unique in every way. Just like a Punjabi, Marati, Malayalee, etc. None of the other 27 states speaks his tongue. But, a tad different from others, a Madrasi’s only weapon to counter-strike the Rest of India is his English. Well, Hindi is the Greek that he had been listening from the North Indians in The Madras state. My own experience of being a South Indian in North India for the very first time kicked the gut out of me. The same applies to a NI as well, when he visits the foreign states down south. Maybe, gut is not the word that should have been used, but, a euphemism does sound better. After all the crap that Indians listen from fellow-Indians, we feel like expatriates in our own country.

And, I just took a break after completing the previous paragraph to get some chicken. On the way to the chicken shop, I kind of very slightly skid my Bullet. In vain, I attracted attention from two drunkards on a “Definitely Male”. They chased me down till the butcher’s shop and abused me after confirming the fact that I am not from Odisha. Their feints were scary and the question of why they went that far is best answered, as they guessed that I am a Madrasi (although, I don’t look like one).

Thinking about a united India is a Utopian concept which has to be changed time and again. Aptly, should be changed according to the whims and fancies of our beloved politicians. Whether they learnt discipline and ethics from British is one I am confident that they haven’t, but, they have very well learnt the technology of “Divide and Rule”.

Indians are the most racist people in the world. This statement made by an Indian himself, iterates the fact that we are. Black and White, but, who remembers that we are all brown? We point at the species “down under” and call them racists for their attacks. I am not justifying their act, but, we need to be clean ourselves to point fingers at others.

The second question anyone faces is the place they hail from than how much educated they are. People are more curious to categorize people on the basis of region than intellectuality.

Indians are brilliant. They don’t ask the forbidden question – that of the religion. I brand them brilliant not because that top brass of any Fortune 100 company consists of Indians, but, because they quickly guess the guy’s faith with their name. The secondary branding that they go for, roots from the name. Did I miss the so-called “title” part? You must have guessed it being an Indian.

The 3Rs of Indians – Race, Region, Religion. We desperately need the 4thR – Redemption. We need to redeem ourselves from the narrow-mindedness of our thinking. The character – We all are Indians – has to be inculcated. I am not asking a Gujarati to marry an Assamese. But, I am asking you to think that, if such a thing happens, don’t embarrass them with questions. Accept them, respect them and appreciate them. They are the brave souls of the nation. Be proud that they are one of the few people like me to unite the nation (The 3Rs is applicable to me as well). We are not a Dravidian or an Aryan, a Madrasi or a Bangali, a Muslim or a Hindu, but, a redemption to seek – Indians.